An actor playing the lead role in a musical about Walter Tull said the character helped him to cope with his own hardships.
Tull was the first ever black officer to command white troops in the British army and one of England's first black football players, facing racial abuse while playing for Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town.
Leon Newman, who plays him in Our Little Hour, did not specify what his hardships were but said looking to Tull helped to get him through.
The musical drama was commissioned by charity Show Racism the Red Card in partnership with Live Wire Theatre to "honour" Tull's life.